Aaron Clifft

I'm about to move on to a small rural property which has a septic tank system in use...

I have great access under the house to most plumbing, is it hard to convert an existing system to use Greywater recycling or does it require a complete rework?

Kia Ora! Looking forward to learning more about Greywater systems and landscapes that incorporate them into the design....

Jim Fry wrote: Seems like maybe you would have to have a very dedicated group of folks in order for a food forest/play area/dog park to stay neat and clean. But, since I've never been involved in such an effort, I have no idea. Best of luck.

We are looking to basically take ownership over the park, with a part time caretaker employed, hopefully paid by the council, instead of the current contractors who just come in a mow within an inch of the lawns life and spray the hell out of everything. We also want the local primary school to be involved with learning about trees and gardening so with a bit of good design and intent we will have the committed people. Kiwi's love a free feed, like most, and with that in mind there has been discussions around community barbeques / working bees...

It borders on a river of significance also which we are hoping to get involved in riparian planting to help the local whitebait population thrive.

It is a large area, and using zones will are trying to keep the childrens playground/rugby field and dog park fairly separate from the orchard part...  



From my rough base map you can hopefully spot the shaded area where the actual 'dog park' part is and the playground is to eastern end..

The red dots are roughly 5m to scale conceptual placements of fruit trees and the red squares in the western end conceptual raised beds, etc for planting..

I guess there must some literature around about dog friendly gardens...

Hi Gang,

I have a project under way in suburban Christchurch where we have been given permission plant over 40 fruit trees over a 2 hectare piece of land!  YAY COUNCIL!

We will be sharing the land with a well established, modern children's playground down one end of the park and a 'dog park' type area thru the middle...

Has anyone ever had experience in developing gardens that are dog friendly or point me in the direction of some content on the topic?

Hey Everyone, we have a great oppurtunity to create something great here in Christchurch, NZ. After the 2011 quakes we have a lot of inner city land available to repurpose. One of the most exciting projects is looking for a bit help to get the ball rolling..


The Ōtākaro Orchard will be New Zealand's first urban food hub. Located in the heart of the Avon River Precinct between the Town Hall and Margaret Mahy Playground, it will be a place that locals and visitors alike can gain knowledge and inspiration about sustainable food systems in practice.

The project has three parts :

An Edible Park featuring a heritage orchard, multiple herb and vegetable beds showcasing a variety of growing techniques, space for educational workshops and an amphitheatre for public gatherings and events.
A Local Food Information Centre and Cafe housed in what we envision will be Christchurch's most regenerative building.
A Dome which will serve as an indoor food production and classroom space.
The Ōtākaro Orchard will serve as the welcoming front door to the local food resilience movement with has been gaining momentum since the earthquakes shook our city apart. In that time we realised that supermarkets carry only 3 days worth of food and if our supply chains get disrupted we go hungry. Community gardens became important places of refuge and connection as well as sources of fresh food.

In the past few years the Food Resilience Network has been holding a collective vision of Christchurch as an 'Edible Garden City'. A city where every citizen has access to the fresh and healthy food they need to live well. Research has shown that up to 40% of Cantabrians are food insecure which means they can struggle to have access to the food they need. Reimagining our urban green spaces as edible ones is a key way we can start to change this. We hope that by establishing the Ōtākaro Orchard as proof that these kinds of spaces can work, that many more can become possible in the city.

https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/5055-otakaro-orchard-phase-1-build-an-edible-park-for-christchurch

I must be honest and say I see permaculture as a "lifestyle" bug out bag in some ways. I honestly wish to create a place wherein I lead by example, showcasing a better way of living thru ecology and community. Some days I really struggle with the community aspect and think that maybe I should just look after myself and to hell with world.
I wonder. Do others think like this and if so how do they reconcile their own need for survival with working for the greater good?